STATOIL MASTERS TENNIS – XAVIER MALISSE IS READY / RODDICK READY; MANSOUR’S STORY TOLD

Written by: Staff on 6th December 2014

STATOIL MASTERS TENNIS - XAVIER MALISSE IS READY / RODDICK READY; MANSOUR'S STORY TOLD

epa03841122 Xavier Malisse of Belgium hits a return to Andreas Seppi of Italy during their match on the third day of the 2013 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 28 August 2013. The US Open runs through Monday 09 September, a 15-day schedule for the first time. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

STATOIL MASTERS TENNIS

THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR

3-7 DECEMBER

LONDON

Subtitle ( or add up there with the title )

Gonzalez: Playing Here Stops Me Missing The ATP World Tour

The 2007 Australian Open finalist Fernando Gonzalez started his ATP Champions Tour career with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 victory over Thomas Enqvist. Playing for the first time inside the Royal Albert Hall, the Chilean showed the Statoil Masters Tennis crowd that his famous forehand has lost none of its potency.

‘That was really a lot of fun,’ he said afterwards. ‘It means a lot to play in front of a lot of people here and with really good players like Thomas. We were both hitting the ball really well and happily I felt really good on the court. The most important thing was that it was a really fun match.’

Gonzalez is a debutant at the Royal Albert Hall this year. And like everyone that steps onto the court for the first time, he was in awe at the splendour of the venue.

‘This place is really beautiful,’ he said. ‘I enjoy so much being in front of a crowd like this, it stops me from missing being on the Tour. It was a great experience for me. I couldn’t stop watching and looking around at the building. The Hall is amazing, it is unbelievable to be here.’

Gonzalez will now play off against Tim Henman on Saturday, with the winner guaranteed qualification for Sunday’s final.

He said: ‘I’ve played Tim many times on the Tour before, but this will obviously be the first time on the Champions Tour. ‘He comes to the net a lot and I like to play against that kind of style. Always we have really good matches and I think it’s going to be really fun to play him with a British crowd here.’

To view results and order of play for the week, go to http://www.atpchampionstour.com/results/results.aspx

Roddick’s Return Creates A Buzz

Andy Roddick will play his first matches at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday when he takes on Sergi Bruguera in singles in the afternoon and then joins up with Tim Henman to meet Ross Hutchins and Jamie Murray in the evening.

In the meantime, the media have enjoyed talking to him. He has done big interviews with the Daily Telegraph, Independent and Metro newspapers, appeared on Sky News Sunrise with Eamonn Holmes, and taken part in a BBC Radio tennis debate with Tim Henman and Pat Cash.

Independent – http://goo.gl/iWyeOY

Telegraph – http://goo.gl/D8twPx

BBC Radio Tells The Mansour Bahrami Story

Iranian tennis player Mansour Bahrami smiles to his contendor of Colombia Mauricio Hadad during the friendly tournament match of the Master of Tennis ‘Seguros Bolivar’ played in Bogota, Colombia, 11 May 2008. Hadad won 6-4 and 6-4. EPA/Guillermo Legaria

Every year, spectators come to the Royal Albert Hall in their thousands to watch John McEnroe, Tim Henman and Pat Cash, and leave talking about Mansour Bahrami, the trick-shot artist.

Last night, as part of a one-hour tennis special from the Statoil Masters Tennis, BBC Radio 5 Live talked to Bahrami about his extraordinary life. It including the moving story about how he was beaten to the ground by guards when trying to play tennis for the first time in Iran, how he lost all of his money in Paris, and how he reached the French Open doubles final before going on to become one of the most entertaining players in history.

Earlier in the tennis show, Andy Roddick, Tim Henman and Pat Cash got together to discuss Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Serena Williams.

To listen to the show, click here and download the podcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/5lspecials

About IMG

IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in nearly 30 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include Events & Media, College, Golf, Tennis, Performance and IMG Academy, Fashion, Models, Clients, Consulting, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; strategic partnerships with sponsors and brands; and marquee assets across sports, entertainment, events, music and fashion.

About Statoil (UK) Ltd

Statoil is an international energy company with operations in 36 countries. Building on 40 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world’s energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. We are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway with approx. 23,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the New York and Oslo stock exchanges. More information is available at www.Statoil.com.

Topics: Mansour Bahrami, Royal Albert Hall, Statoil Masters Tennis, Tennis, Xavier Malisse

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10sBalls_com says:

December 6, 2014 at 9:14 am

#statoilmasters #TENNIS – XAVIER MALISSE IS READY / @andyroddick READ; @MansourBahrami’s STORY TOLD- http://t.co/EkZcnYfNBZ @xmalissesite
xmalissesite says:

December 6, 2014 at 9:16 am

RT @10sBalls_com: #statoilmasters #TENNIS – XAVIER MALISSE IS READY / @andyroddick READ; @MansourBahrami’s STORY TOLD- http://t.co/EkZcnYfN…